Last week, I attended the opening of an art exhibit at the Watson
Institute for International Studies. The second floor hallway was
filled with colorful abstract paintings created by Professor Emeritus
of History Abbott (Tom) Gleason, who taught Russian history to
generations of Brown students. In May 2010, the BAM
published an article in which Tom reflected on his life since being
diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Although he no longer teaches, Tom
retains a sense of energy and joy that shines through in his paintings.

Frank Mullin

Tom Gleeson's "View of a City, Florence."

Tom’s show is the first in a new “Art at Watson”
series, one of many initiatives that are reinvigorating the
Institute. Watson’s new faculty fellows program, for example, is
bringing eighteen Brown faculty members from several departments to
teach and conduct research there for two-year appointments. A new
postdoctoral fellows program will soon be under way. Watson and its
allied regional studies programs are recruiting such international
policymakers as Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao to be distinguished
visiting fellows. A new Distinguished Speakers Series has already
hosted Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen.

The gains at Watson reflect one simple fact: people matter. In July
2013, political scientist Richard Locke became the Howard R. Swearer
Director of the Watson Institute. Rick brought a wealth of experience
as the chair of the political science department at MIT and the deputy
director of MIT’s Sloan School of Business. His research, focused on
improving labor and environmental conditions in global supply chains,
complements the strengths of existing faculty. Brown also recruited
Edward Steinfeld from MIT, a prominent political scientist working on
energy issues in China, who will direct Brown’s China Initiative,
adding to our thriving regional programs on Brazil, India, Latin
America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. As I write, we are hiring
new junior and senior faculty members who work in key areas of security
and development in India, China, and the Middle East.

Through a strategic planning process completed last spring, the
Watson Institute, building on existing strengths across multiple
departments, has identified three areas of focus for its work:
development, security, and governance. The Institute’s development work
will concentrate not only on economic development but also on
political, social, and human development, and it will tie into research
under way at the School of Public Health, the Warren Alpert School of
Medicine, and the Population Studies and Training Center.

In security studies, the Watson Institute plans to build in the areas
of cybersecurity; the intersection of environmental issues, climate
change, and security; and security challenges in the Middle East, South
Asia, the Far East, and Latin America. Watson’s work on
governance will center on the ability of individual nation states to
extend the rule of law and deliver public goods — areas in which Watson
has deep expertise. Faculty and students are working on access to
medicines in the global south, governance issues around climate and
development, and the role of Islamist organizations in the provision of
social welfare services.

Brown benefits from a strong and energetic Watson Institute. Currently,
Watson houses two popular undergraduate degree programs, one in
international relations (with 135 concentrators) and the other in
development studies (33 concentrators.) Faculty there lead an
NSF-funded interdisciplinary graduate program in development that
includes PhD candidates from anthropology, economics, political
science, and sociology. As they prepare for careers in a global
environment, students are drawn to Watson to learn about, discuss, and
conduct research on the world’s most pressing challenges.

Brown’s strategic plan, “Building on Distinction,” identified “creating
just, peaceful and prosperous societies” as one of the seven
integrative themes in which we will invest in the coming years. The
Watson Institute for International Studies, with its focus on
innovative, policy-relevant education and scholarship, stands as one of
the premier Brown centers and programs that will play a central role in
bringing our efforts under this theme to fruition.

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